Prosecution Insights
Last updated: May 04, 2026
Application No. 17/934,195

SUBTRACTIVE LINES AND VIAS WITH WRAP-AROUND CONTACT

Final Rejection §112
Filed
Sep 21, 2022
Examiner
MELLINGER, CORBYN DAVID
Art Unit
2899
Tech Center
2800 — Semiconductors & Electrical Systems
Assignee
International Business Machines Corporation
OA Round
2 (Final)
71%
Grant Probability
Favorable
3-4
OA Rounds
0m
Est. Remaining
99%
With Interview

Examiner Intelligence

Grants 71% — above average
71%
Career Allowance Rate
17 granted / 24 resolved
+2.8% vs TC avg
Strong +41% interview lift
Without
With
+41.2%
Interview Lift
resolved cases with interview
Typical timeline
3y 1m
Avg Prosecution
31 currently pending
Career history
55
Total Applications
across all art units

Statute-Specific Performance

§103
43.2%
+3.2% vs TC avg
§102
25.9%
-14.1% vs TC avg
§112
30.9%
-9.1% vs TC avg
Black line = Tech Center average estimate • Based on career data from 24 resolved cases

Office Action

§112
DETAILED ACTION Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA . Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112 The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b): (b) CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention. The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph: The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention. Claim 13 is rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor (or for applications subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 112, the applicant), regards as the invention. Claim 13 recites the limitation "a second adhesive layer disposed on sides of the second lower wiring line" in line 2. It is unclear if the sides of the second lower wiring line are the same sides presented in claim 12. For the purpose of compact prosecution, the examiner is interpreting the sides of the second lower wiring line recited in claim 13 to be the same sides recited in claim 12. Allowable Subject Matter Claims 1-12 and 14-15 are allowed. Claim 13 would be allowable if rewritten to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office action and to include all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims. The following is an examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance: As to Claim 1, no art found by the examiner, either alone or in combination, teaches or renders obvious the limitation of a dielectric layer (separate from an adhesive layer) being located around a lower wiring line, and wherein the adhesive layer is between the dielectric layer and the lower wiring line. While previously cited art could, in principle contain an additional dielectric layer, no rationale for doing so has been identified by the examiner. Claims 2-10 are allowable due to their dependence on allowable claim 1. As to Claim 11, no art found by the examiner, either alone or in combination, teaches or renders obvious those analogous limitations to those in claim 1. Claims 12 and 14-15 are allowable due to their dependence on allowable claim 11. Conclusion Applicant's amendment necessitated the new ground(s) of rejection presented in this Office action. Accordingly, THIS ACTION IS MADE FINAL. See MPEP § 706.07(a). Applicant is reminded of the extension of time policy as set forth in 37 CFR 1.136(a). A shortened statutory period for reply to this final action is set to expire THREE MONTHS from the mailing date of this action. In the event a first reply is filed within TWO MONTHS of the mailing date of this final action and the advisory action is not mailed until after the end of the THREE-MONTH shortened statutory period, then the shortened statutory period will expire on the date the advisory action is mailed, and any nonprovisional extension fee (37 CFR 1.17(a)) pursuant to 37 CFR 1.136(a) will be calculated from the mailing date of the advisory action. In no event, however, will the statutory period for reply expire later than SIX MONTHS from the mailing date of this final action. Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Corbyn D Mellinger whose telephone number is (703)756-5683. The examiner can normally be reached M-F 9-6 Eastern. Examiner interviews are available via telephone, in-person, and video conferencing using a USPTO supplied web-based collaboration tool. To schedule an interview, applicant is encouraged to use the USPTO Automated Interview Request (AIR) at http://www.uspto.gov/interviewpractice. If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Zandra Smith can be reached at 571-272-2429. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300. Information regarding the status of published or unpublished applications may be obtained from Patent Center. Unpublished application information in Patent Center is available to registered users. To file and manage patent submissions in Patent Center, visit: https://patentcenter.uspto.gov. Visit https://www.uspto.gov/patents/apply/patent-center for more information about Patent Center and https://www.uspto.gov/patents/docx for information about filing in DOCX format. For additional questions, contact the Electronic Business Center (EBC) at 866-217-9197 (toll-free). If you would like assistance from a USPTO Customer Service Representative, call 800-786-9199 (IN USA OR CANADA) or 571-272-1000. /Corbyn D Mellinger/Examiner, Art Unit 2899 /ZANDRA V SMITH/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 2899
Read full office action

Prosecution Timeline

Sep 21, 2022
Application Filed
Jun 24, 2025
Non-Final Rejection — §112
Sep 16, 2025
Applicant Interview (Telephonic)
Sep 16, 2025
Examiner Interview Summary
Sep 25, 2025
Response Filed
Mar 19, 2026
Final Rejection — §112 (current)

Precedent Cases

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Study what changed to get past this examiner. Based on 5 most recent grants.

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Prosecution Projections

3-4
Expected OA Rounds
71%
Grant Probability
99%
With Interview (+41.2%)
3y 1m (~0m remaining)
Median Time to Grant
Moderate
PTA Risk
Based on 24 resolved cases by this examiner. Grant probability derived from career allowance rate.

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